T minus 1 Week

CatMatt are moving into their new old house this Saturday! Despite some major/minor setbacks on behalf of a (crazy) contractor, aka Drywall Dave, major progress has been made. Tomorrow's a huge day - with aforementioned Drywall Dave finishing the dining room ceiling and walls (hopefully) and appliances and carpet arriving - things are definitely coming together.

Here are some photos from CatMatt's last full weekend of work before the big move ...

The new tile's in ... and re-grouting finito:


Cat caulked the whole bathroom and re-coated all the grout:
(this is what it looks like while it dries, before wiping off the excess.. it's really quite cool stuff- the result is brand new-looking grout yay!)


Matt sanded the stairs ... and started staining :
(risers done, treads to go!)


Cat painted the ceiling (white) and primed the kitchen (it's gonna be RED, so the primer was peachy pink) :


Tools and supplies are taking the place over:


A dear reader told CatMatt she forgot what the outside of the house looks like, so here 'tis (and with the new roof and chimney-top) :

Stay tuned for more progress photos ... and the first real 'before/after' shots. Woo hoo!

From Last Week

CatMatt are a bit behind on picture-posting, but here's a few from last week's projects...

1. Cat's big shower project. It was decided that CatMatt's shower needed some grout work and a tile replacement. Um, *not* an easy project.

a) CatMatt's shower mid-project:



b) After tile was removed...and filled in smooth with a fantastic, peanut butter-like substance called Rock Hard Water Putty (really):



c) New tile (perfectly cut by Matt), glued in with spacers, and ready for re-grouting:




2. More light fixture removal (ah-men).

a) Yes! :



b) Matt's (now familiar) look of concern and disdain, which accompanies most glimpses into the house's 75 year-old electrical work. Thank God it's not all like this:



c) Fixtures gone! And time to call the electrician:




3. Prepping the living room for paint.

Weekend Photos

A few updates from the weekend...

1. Old paint scraped from stairs (literally, with a scraping tool) ... and sanding commences:

2. Removal of remaining light fixtures in kitchen/dining area

a) The "easy" version:

b) The not-so easy version (remember that square-shaped monstrosity hanging from the dining room ceiling? well, this is what catmatt found underneath). uh oh:

*note: this sight left cat speechless for nearly a half an hour

3. All in all, progress being made in the kitchen/dining area:

4. Cat's new favorite tool/project:

(really, it is. difficult to mess up, which is always a huge plus. and smells surprisingly nice).

More Photos

CatMatt are still chugging along. Mostly "before" pictures still (no "after"), but "afters" soon to come!

A couple recent projects/goings on:

1. Matt bravely ventured into the scary attic to investigate an odd sound and extreme temperatures on the 2nd floor ....

2. He discovered (and removed) the following problems:

(two ancient, broken attic fans!)

3. Cat soldiers on with wallpaper removal, spackling, sanding, and painting. This time in the guest bathroom!

(so long, sea shells!)

The First 2 Days

CatMatt have begun tackling two major projects: walls and stairs. The following photos document the "before" ... and the very beginning.

Cat bringing in the goods (kitchen/dining area)



The blank canvas from the living room, looking into the dining room



Cat ripping off wallpaper ... and more wallpaper.



The stairs (covered in icky carpet)



What Matt found UNDER the icky carpet (yay!)

FINALLY!!

It's official. CatMatt closed on their house last Friday! They spent most of the weekend working on it ... and driving to and from Home Depot.

1. Carpet on stairs - off!
2. Wallpaper and adhesive - almost off!
3. Money Pit Moments - 3!

Stay tuned ... Pictures coming soon.